Vinyl aromatic monomers, such as styrene, are used extensively for the manufacture of plastics. These monomers undergo undesirable thermal and free radical polymerization during storage, shipping, and particularly during processing. Such polymerization can cause fouling of distillation towers and other equipment used for processing the monomers and can render the monomers unfit for use without further treatment. Accordingly, to minimize polymerization, compounds having polymerization inhibiting activity are commonly injected into the crude styrene-containing feed to the distillation columns. In certain styrene recovery processes, a secondary injection can also be made into the primary column of the distillation section directly above the crude styrene feed to achieve better mixing.
A wide variety of compounds are known in the art and have been employed as polymerization inhibitors. However, while some of these compounds can actually inhibit polymerization (hereinafter referred to as "true inhibitors"), others can merely slow down the polymerization process (hereinafter referred to as "retarders").
True inhibitors completely inhibit polymerization for the period of time during which they are present in the styrene stream. The most frequently utilized true inhibitors are stable nitroxide free radical compounds. U.S. Pat. No. 4,670,131, which is representative of the prior art, discloses the use of stable free radicals, including nitroxides, to inhibit the polymerization of olefinic compounds, such as styrene. Nitroxides are generally recognized as the cornerstone of inhibitor programs because of their superior inhibiting capabilities. Alkyl hydroxylamines have also been utilized in styrene systems, but are not as effective.
Retarders, unlike true inhibitors, do not stop polymerization. Rather, retarders slow down the rate of polymer growth. The compounds commercially employed as retarders are dinitrophenols, such as 2,4-and2,6-dinitrophenol, as well as alkylated homologues such as 2,4-dinitro-o-cresol (DNOC) and 2,4-dinitro-sec-butylphenol. Unfortunately, although dinitrophenols, such as DNOC, are effective retarders, they are extremely toxic. In addition, dinitrophenols have very low solubility, i.e., less than 5%, in both styrene and its precursor ethylbenzene. Companies that use either of these two products typically make up solutions in hot styrene or ethylbenzene to increase solubility. However, the companies are then dealing with a known toxin dissolved in a suspected carcinogen. Although solubility problems can be overcome by using products such as dinitro-sec-butylphenol, the alkyl group does not add any activity to the product. Therefore, while solubility in the hydrocarbons is increased, product activity is decreased.
Furthermore, styrene manufacturers have gone to great lengths to remove air from the product recovery section of their plants. Thus, an inhibitor or a retarder must normally work under anaerobic conditions. The term "anaerobic" is used herein to mean substantially free of oxygen. In other words, although styrene manufacturers attempt to operate air-free processes, trace amounts of oxygen may nonetheless be present. Several known retarders, however, require the presence of oxygen to reduce the amount of polymerization which occurs. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,466,905 discloses that phenylenediamines and 2,6-dinitro-p-cresol will inhibit polymerization in the distillation column if oxygen is added.
Both true inhibitors and retarders (such as dinitropenols and phenylenediamines) have been added to the crude styrene feed and added up-stream of the crude styrene feed, e.g., into the styrene-producing reactor effluent and process front end, to inhibit polymer formation. However, because of the overall effectiveness of the true inhibitors, especially the nitroxides, and the undesirable toxicity of most retarders, nitroxides have generally been the preferred polymer inhibitor.
Unfortunately, field application of nitroxides in the distillation section of styrene processes has been slow to develop because of economic and logistical considerations. A need remains to determine whether injecting the nitroxide at particular locations in the styrene process can improve inhibition performance above and beyond what has heretofore been found by directing all of the nitroxide into the crude styrene feed at the beginning of the distillation section.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved method for inhibiting polymer formation during aerobic or anaerobic styrene processing using a true inhibitor, particularly a nitroxide. It would also be desirable to determine where in the styrene process the nitroxide could be injected in such a way as to achieve maximal inhibition performance.